Rysys
by darthdaenerys
Summary: Titled "Rysys" after the Sith word for "bond." Reylo twist on the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. God of Death, the feared Kylo Ren, tricks orphan Rey into being dragged to the Underworld with him. Rated M for later smut, sexual content, language, and violence. Slow burn. "The Earth itself broke apart beneath them, sending sandfalls down into the black abyss."
1. Chapter 1

_You understand, I got a plan for us_

_I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous_

_It must be fate, I found a place for us_

_I bet you didn't know that I was dangerous.._

**Chapter 1**

**Destiny Is For The Weak-Minded**

There were very few things he enjoyed more than silence.

The welcoming shadows of his personal chambers enveloped him as he meditated. Here he could think. There were no unfortunate souls begging to be redeemed, no angry Olympians threatening to tear down his fortress if he didn't attend one of their atrocious dinner parties, no slimy handmaiden sprites begging for his undivided attention, and best of all..no Hux.

Hux was the thorn on the rose of his domain. Even the wanna-be God's bright auburn hair stood out like an eye sore in the foggy grey cloaked realm. Assistant Hux was once just a man; A Sith worshipper known for experimenting on old decaying bodies of dead Siths in an attempt to create an immortal. The Gods of Olympus were very displeased, and promptly murdered him when he almost succeeded. Zeus himself touched down to Earth for that one. Kylo ended up granting the wish of the damned man by making him into a Dvasia, an undead, as a thanks for his allegiance to the Sith, a group of humans that claimed to share small amounts of power that likened the Supreme Leader of the Underworld's.

Kylo had his reasons for keeping Hux around, to his own dismay. Hux gladly took charge in the day-to-day activities of the Supreme Leader of the Underworld whenever asked. His pale blotchy skin seemed to glow every time his leader gave him a turn on the stoney throne. Kylo would grow bored speaking to souls after a few hundred or so came to him, so why not have Hux finish it up? One by one they'd sing his praises and beg for mercy that may never come.

"_Please, I've changed!"_

"_He deserved to die! He stepped out of our marriage!"_

"_I didn't mean to do it! She just looked..looked so..I just couldn't resist her!"_

The dark lord had heard it all. If a soul found itself in his realm, it was there for a reason. There were no small sins being reaped here, except for maybe a few.

The Underworld was a vast, devastatingly dreary place. Colors bled together in a wash of blue and grey with the occasional crimson sparks of fire. Dark shadows clung to Kylo's shoulders down to his feet like a cloak, rolling off his heels as he walked. The limbotic circle of hell he called home held very few souls. The sparse wasteland housed not much more than light turquoise pools, tall blackened peeling trees and gray dry dirt that burst forth with ever step.

There were ten total circles of his realm. The first below his feet was Atitrazi, a world between worlds. This is where lost souls resided. Most of its population was made up of souls Kylo had decided would be their final resting place after they showed they served enough time as punishment for their sins. The rest were those who lived virtuous lives but denied the existence of the Gods. He rolled his eyes everytime that was brought up. He could care less if a human believed in him or any of the others. Their "punishment" was to live in a small drafty castle with nothing but each other, a home in which would always be undermined by Olympus itself.

The second ring was Geisti, home to those who's lust had ruled their lives. The third, Kristi, was for the gluttons. The fourth, Rajus, held the money-hungry as well as the selfish. The fifth circle, Pyktis, drowns the angry. The sixth, Isdav'kas, houses those that dared to go against the teachings of the Gods of Olympus. Kylo was most lenient to those banned to this ring. Most would be moved up to Atitrazi after their initial atonement. The seventh, Ziaurus, flames the most violent of humans. The eighth circle, Tash, was a prison for the fraudulent and false. The final ring was given the name Priaet. It seals its victims in a frozen lake. Victims being those that had lived by treachery and lies.

Kylo rarely visited the other rings. He preferred the solidarity of his gray castle in the wasteland between Atitrazi and the Earth's crust. More so, he preferred his secluded bed chambers deep in the castle above all. Zile, he called it; after the Sith word for grey. Fitting.

Solitude was his one and only friend in the Underworld, and he welcomed it with open arms. Here he could mediate, he could train, he could strengthen his abilities through the Force, something he knew he had mastered far better than any other Olympian though they would never admit it.

Kylo's right eye twitched slightly as he felt Hux's presence approach his door. Three quick knocks echoed through his chambers. He sat on nothing; levitating in the air cross-legged as he answered through his teeth, "What is it?"

"May I come in, Supreme Leader?"

He slowly stretched out his long legs, black clad boots softly touched the dark wooden floor.

"Yes." He replied begrudgingly.

Hux entered, wearing the expression of a frightened child. Something was wrong. Kylo didn't have to search his assistant's feelings to figure that.

"What is it?" Kylo barked.

Hux jumped slightly at the veracity of his leader's tone, but held himself at attention to relay the message; arms held tightly at his sides.

"Sir, the map to Olympus has been found."

"But you lost it." Kylo added.

Hux looked as if he were going to vomit, "Yes. But we know who has it now."

Kylo didn't answer, he waited for his assistant to finish while his dark eyes cut through the undead man like knives.

Hux regained his composure, "The map is in Jakku. One of the Sith stationed there sensed it being found. The Sith leaders attempted to find it but unfortunately their powers are too weak. They cannot track its exact location. Some say they are sure it is with a girl. They sense a female presence with it. We do have lookouts now on every corner of Jakk-" Hux's throat slammed shut as he gasped for air that never came. His pink face now flooded with red.

Kylo's gloved hand that controlled the Force choke came close to his pleading face, "What girl?"

….

"Come on! You're going to love it!"

Finn's voice rang in Rey's ears as he shook her awake. Sleep slowly faded from her as her vision cleared, "Why are you in my bunk?" she tried to ask through a raspy throat.

Finn sat atop her small bed, making its legs grit against the dirty tile floor with his shaking.

"Come. On. Come. On." He continued to shake her and the old bed with every word.

"Alright, alright! Okay, stop!" Rey swung her arms around her to hopefully stop him from breaking her bed, her only luxury nowadays.

Finn flashed her a large grin, "Get dressed, you're not going to want to miss this."

….

Rey exited the communal refresher to head back to her bunk to collect her boots. After tidying up the small bed she sat once again to tie her hair up into three small buns. She glanced around the now completely empty bed chamber. Beds as rickety as her own lined up the walls. Clothing and belongings littered the floor. She was amazed they all could keep up with what belonged to who. The orphanage was once meant for children under sixteen, but after the attack on Jakku five years ago that all changed. Young adults, geriatrics, and children alike called these dirty halls home now. Huts above ground were all but destroyed back then.

Many that sought shelter there had now moved on. But she and Finn had remained. They couldn't leave old Maz behind to upkeep the home herself. Rey was fifteen when the attack of the Sith happened. They destroyed, pillaged, murdered. She had already been living at the orphanage for as long as she could remember. It was her that opened its doors in spite of Maz's requests not to. It was then she met a young boy not much older than her who had defected from the Sith's troops. A young boy that would soon after become her best friend.

She detested the Sith and everything to do with their religion. She didn't know much about them at first, so she dedicated her time to stealing archaic books on them wherever she could find them while also piecing together the stories Maz told her as a child. They worshipped the God of the Underworld, Kylo Ren; a fierce and cruel deity that humans would come face to face with if they lived their lives improperly. To the Sith, he was someone to respect. A judge that passed proper sentences to the meak human race. He possessed a certain power, the Force. She attempted to find whatever info she could on the Force, but always found nothing or missing pages that had been ripped from the binds. Sith leaders boasted of how they also possessed this power of their God. She had seen it only once. The day of the massacre, she saw a tall slender old man cloaked in black raise his hand to control the body of the baker's son. The young boy was choking and floating mid-air, before being thrusted into a nearby shop door all by the hand of the cloaked man. All without being touched. She shivered at the memory.

They were heretics; Monsters hiding behind their "moral code" of following a deity that may not even exist or care about them. And even if this Kylo Ren did exist, why would anyone want to worship him? Why would anyone want to boast of sharing a demon's power? As far as Sith and their worshippers were concerned, anyone that turned their back against their teachings or the Olympic God's teachings would find themselves being judged by the demon of the Underworld.

Maz would tell her stories at night when she was young about the Olympic Gods; Of how Zeus himself once took Kylo Ren under his wing. He was his teacher for quite a while before banishing him to the depths beneath the Earth. Maz never said why really, only that Kylo had been destined to become the demon below.

Legend says Zeus, in his shame, left Olympus in the clouds to become a hermit somewhere on Earth. He couldn't bare to face anyone after having to banish his own pupil. This happened millenia ago, if true.

Rey believed none of it.

The Sith were psychotic power-hungry tyrants that used a religion to mask their selfish ways and to gain popularity among the weaker-minded who would grow to worship them.

She hated them all.

"Are you going to sit there all morning or are you coming with me?"

Finn poked his head through the open doorway of the bedchamber. She straightened her tunic down and pushed a stray hair behind her ear, "No, no I'm coming!"

….

The desert never looked so..so _alive_.

The town was covered in pinks and purples and blues with merchant tents set up down every street. The usual dusty market was now exploding with color and life. People from all over came for the festival. "The Festival of Light." they deemed it. Endorians travelled across the globe every year to a new town, celebrating their city's triumph against the Sith in a bloody battle many years ago in Endor. They attempted to bring light and happiness to all those that had seen the terrible darkness that followed the Sith's empire. Rey had always heard of it, but they never came to Jakku before. It was exactly like she had pictured it.

"Okay that just doesn't make sense." Finn's temper was rising as he bartered with an Ewok over a leather belt.

"This isn't even that nice. Why would you charge that much? Isn't this festival supposed to make people happy? This isn't making me happy sir!"

Rey giggled as she pulled on her friend's right shoulder, "Come on, you're being mean."

"Wha-No I'm not!" He then leaned in to whisper, "Shut up don't you see I'm trying to get a good deal?"

Rey laughed and threw her hands up in defeat, "Alright, good luck! I'm going to get us some breakfast"

Rey scanned the line of merchants filling up the sandy street in an attempt to find something edible. Ewok food didn't sound very appetizing from what she had seen so far.

"Rey."

Rey spun around to find the source of the feminine voice that called to her.

"Here."

She locked eyes with the source of the voice, an old woman with tanned skin and long blue hair tucked under a purple sheer hood. She was seated behind a small table between two human merchants that were yelling for someone to buy their beads and fresh meats.

"Come."

The woman spoke a third time, but her lips did not move.

Rey, entranced, slowly approached the woman's table.

"How do you know me?"

The elder smiled, "I know everyone, but not everyone knows me."

Rey rolled her eyes. It was a trick. She was probably a half-wit fortune teller. She had been warned about these types.

"Ma'am I apologize, but I'm not interested in my fortune." She spun on her heel to find something to help her grumbling stomach.

"I do not know your fortune. It is still far too early to tell. There are so many paths for you, little Rey. So many paths. Some beautiful, filled with love and passion. Some dark, seeping with destruction and angst. Some, both."

"Sorry, truly, but I'm not interested. I don't have much money to pay you anyway." Rey started in the opposite direction of the teller.

The woman's voice grew serious and cold, "The Underworld awaits. His lust will furrow around you until you can no longer withstand it. His fingers will dig in so deep that you will not dare deny him. The seed will be fed and you will be forever owned. He awaits. You await. Fate will intervene. Two will become one. The dyad will be done to never be undone. The destruction. The love. The hate. The peace. All can be yours. Your choice alone."

Rey slowly turned to the woman after she spoke, but she was gone.

The fortune teller's table was no longer in front of her. There was nothing more than sand and two loud merchants. And a box.

Rey slowly knelt to examine it. It was small and coated in a shiny black color. There was no way of opening it; no creases or key holes; nothing. She picked it up.

The small box began buzzing in her hands, glowing a dark menacing red, then deep blue, before finally settling on a light bluish-white. It wasn't heavy, it felt so oddly light in her palms. She wondered why she didn't feel afraid; why she felt like she needed to keep it. She felt attached to it somehow.

Rey ran through the crowd searching for Finn, wondering how the hell she was going to explain what just happened. She crashed into something hard.

"Finn!"

Finn heaved with exhaustion as he backed away, apologizing for running into her so hard.

"Rey!" he got out between breaths, "It's them. They're coming."

Rey's eyes widened in understanding. "Why? Why now?! Because of the festival?!"

He shook his head, "No. Or at least I don't think so. There was this man, he was undercover I think. I heard him speaking into a radio that he found 'it' and to bring everything they've got. I heard the voice that answered him, Rey. It was her."

Rey nodded, she knew what he had meant. One of the Siths that attacked Jakku years ago was responsible for Finn's abandonment of his post. He was a trooper, dressed in red armor, stolen and raised to be a soldier for them. One of the Sith leaders, Phasma, a silver armored woman, had ordered him to "clear out" a house full of nothing but elders and children. He refused.

It was her voice he heard over the radio now.

"Okay, we've got to find Maz. We need to tell everyon-" Rey was interrupted by screams.

"Look! Look in the sky!" A woman close by pointed upwards.

Rey followed the woman's finger. Large black and silver spacecrafts now littered the sky.

They're already here.

….

He almost forgot the stench of the Earth. Its dirty perfume filled his head, making it ache. If you want something done correctly, you must do it yourself.

Of course when the time came for the Sith to be of some use, they fail him. Their so-called powers were probably giving them false information. The map was most likely not even here.

The sand city of Jakku looked peaceful and empty in the cool night air. He had slipped into the land of the living through a cloud of thick black smog, unnoticed.

The second his feet touched the sand, he felt it. It was like a shockwave from a bolt of Zeus' lightning. It made his spine shiver and his fingertips numb. He locked onto the map's location instantly. It wasn't far. It was the source of this feeling.

….

The troopers now patrolled the city. Jakku was under Sith control now. The Sith troops had swept through them like a tsunami. There wasn't any bloodshed and pillaging this time, but Rey knew it was coming. She watched from a small dirt window as troopers passed by.

"You have to get rid of it." Finn whispered as he walked over to join her.

"They've got to be looking for it. It's no coincidence."

"I know." she finally answered. She already knew that, and was already planning.

"I'll go with you." he knew her all too well.

She turned to her friend, "No, we can't risk it. If I get caught at least this place will still have you to protect it. For their sake, we can't both be taken."

Finn took a deep breath, preparing to argue. She interrupted with a smile, "I'll be fine. I'll be quick. I'll sneak out back, run out far into the junkyard and bury it deep."

Finn nodded, "Alright. But please be careful, Rey."

She hugged her closest friend tight, a small tear crept out of her left eye.

….

Rey crouched in the open doorway of the back of the orphanage, counting the seconds between each passing trooper. 34. 34 seconds almost exactly. She slipped away into the night after one passed, counting in her head.

She knew if this box was what they were searching for, they would stop at nothing to find it. They were not the type to just go digging out in the desert for it. They'd kill them all one by one until someone spoke up or found it themself.

She was going to face them. She was going to their base camp on the outskirts of town to pay them a visit personally. Maybe she could take a couple of them down with her.

She knew it was suicide. Even if they weren't looking for the stupid box they'd kill her for being anywhere close to their camp. Well maybe they should've stayed in their warm safe spacecraft instead of camping down here with the peasants. She smiled to herself.

A hot bolt of electricity flitted up her spine. She bit her lip as to not cry out in surprise. Her hands shook and her body almost went numb. What the hell is this? Her stomach twisted in anticipation. She remembered this feeling. She had only felt something sort of like this once. When she was twelve, a boy at the orphanage had asked to hold her hand while they listened to Maz's stories one night. She had blushed and nodded. Why the hell was she feeling something like that, _now_?

….

She was perfect.

He couldn't recall ever being stunned by anything, truly. He struggled to let go of the breath he was holding. She was painfully beautiful. And _strong_.

He could sense her resolve. Her bravery. Her confidence. It was maddening. He needed more. He needed to hear her speak, to touch her, to..

She was sneaking behind dirt huts, avoiding crimson Sith troopers. Without a weapon, without a real plan. She was being so reckless. He felt something twitch on his lips. A smile?

The electricity in him intensified as he watched her from a tall sand dune. It was her. He had finally found the map to his old Master.

He let himself dig around in her mind, not really knowing what he was looking for.

Rey.

….

Rey stepped out of the sights of the troopers, straightening her back as she was finally able to walk upright as she headed towards the dim lights of the Sith leaders' camp. The tall thick black and red tents looked like a stain on the landscape.

The electricity had finally subsided, leaving her with a faint numbness in her fingers and toes. Was it adrenaline, maybe?

She felt as if she had been walking for at least an hour, far longer than she had expected. Yet the camp still seemed just as far away, if not further.

She broke out into a run, but it still never changed distance. She stopped, What was going on?

The electric current buzzed forth through her body once more as a deep voice from behind called to her, "Rey."

The masucline voice ran down her spine, making her tremor. She slowly turned to see nothing but the lights of the only town she's ever known. The voice didn't belong to a stormtrooper. The echoing vibrations off of it seemed to melt into her mind. How did he know her name? Was the current she felt part of the Sith power? So was this man one of them?

She heard a 'hmph.' answer her thoughts in the darkness. A black boot came forth from the dark, followed by another. Then legs formed, then a torso, then the face.

He was beautiful. His long black curls danced down half of his neck. His strong facial structure and piercing dark brown eyes bore holes into her. He was.._big_. He was so much taller than she was. He could kill her with just a flick of the wrist.

"Probably." His voice came out of thick lips, it made her tremble again. Did he read her mind?

She pushed down the knot in her stomach and regained her composure. She had promptly closed her mouth after noticing it hanging slightly ajar at the sight of him.

"I have what you're looking for." She barked.

He tilted his head up, taking her in. She cursed at herself as she fought the blush while he looked her up and down.

"I believe you do."

She held her arm out, stupid black box in hand, "Here. Now leave this place."

He gave her a small 'hmph' again.

She lost herself to her hatred of the Sith. His beauty paled in comparison to that. She felt fury bubble up in her chest.

She watched as his brows furrowed together, "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" She asked, confused and annoyed.

"I could read your mind before. I can't now."

"Well maybe you shouldn't be trying to read it at all! It's rude anyway." She felt herself make fists. "Now take this and leave!"

"I'll leave. I'll make sure they all do. If you come with me."

Rey's eyebrows raised, "W-What? Why?"

"Come with me. Or the orphanage will be in flames by dawn." He had definitely been digging inside her mind. He'll pay for that.

"You monster! You would burn down a home for the downtrodden all for a little box and a random girl?"

He deadpanned, "Yes."

She took a step back. The electric current sweeping through her that beckoned her to him; that almost begged her to reach out and touch him was slowly being replaced by sheer terror. He _was_ a monster. This wasn't a man. This was no Sith. This was something else.

"You're right. I _am_ a monster." he took a step closer.

"Don't!" She backed up another step, he was terrifying. She had never felt so hopeless.

"Make your decision, Rey." He stepped again.

She stayed put, running the scenarios in her head. He was capable of doing exactly what he said. But what if she went and he did it anyway?

"What are you thinking?"

She yelled this time, "What if I go with you and you burn the city to the ground anyway? What then?"

"You're just going to have to trust me." his face wore such a serious mask. He seemed not at all interested in getting her to trust him.

She let out a sarcastic laugh, "Fine. Fine! Have it your way!"

She looked at the sand at her feet in as silent farewell before she fully surrendered, "Fine."

"Good." he answered as she felt her body stiffen as it was being pulled towards him. She slammed into his chest before a concrete arm closed around her. A low rumble started below them before the sands began to split. The Earth itself broke apart beneath them, sending sand falls down into the black abyss. Then they were falling.

The fear of the unknown gave her a rush she had never felt before. She heard herself screaming. It suddenly disintegrated into ringing in her ears as she slipped into unconsciousness. She felt the box almost slip out of her hand before being taken by someone else.

That box.

That stupid fucking box.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm bigger than my body_

_I'm colder than this home_

_I'm meaner than my demons_

_I'm bigger than these bones_

_I can't help this awful energy_

_Damn right you should be scared of me_

_Who is in control?_

**Chapter 2**

**Don't Fear the Reaper**

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Oh I'm sorry, are you not the coveted Assistant? Is it not your job to know these kinds of things?"

Soft voices floated in and out of her mind. She was drifting in between consciousness, attempting and failing at opening her heavy lids. She wanted to groan. Her stomach and head spun. She needed to vomit.

"I'm warning you..you..you old pile of junk."

"Oh, wow. That hurt, you know. That really cut deep."

The voices in reality weren't soft at all. As she was pulled out further from sleep she could hear them so clearly. _Too_ clearly. She wished they'd shut up. Her ears pounded with every syllable.

"I'll hear no more of this! I'm just telling you what our Supreme Leader demands! Don't ask anymore questions and just do it!"

"Fine. But why is he even keeping her alive? To dress her up like his little doll? Is our fearless leader that bored?"

She could make them out completely now. One was a male voice. He was older than her and carrying an accent she hadn't heard before. The second voice was robotic; a droid most likely.

Where was she? Who were they? Rey tried to move her tired arms, then her hands, then finally settling for her fingers. Her digits found something smooth and quite silky. She was lying down on a bed, with the most luxurious blankets she'd ever felt. They smelled nice too. She breathed in the scent of freesia and gardenias. Was she dead? Was this heaven? Why were there annoying people disturbing her in heaven?

"He spoke of her having some Force sensitivity. She blocked him from her mind."

"What?! No one has succeeded in that except for maybe Zeus himself! Are you sure that's what he said?"

"I'm sure of it. He was..amused, strangely. He's very interested in her."

Realty struck her like a blaster to the gut. She wasn't dead. But she might be soon.

She remembered now. Remembered the planet bursting forth beneath her feet. How she passed out as she plummeted into the black depths. She remembered _him_. The man they were speaking of now. She unfortunately remembered his face..his hair..his long limbs..He had wrapped one of those strong limbs around her. He dragged her down into the deep unknown. And she had let him.

It scared her. It scared her how her mind seemed to tear apart while he spoke. How one half begged to wrap her arms around him, to press her cheek into his chest; while the other pleaded to run away from him like he was death itself.

She had to remain calm. It all had to have been some Sith mind trick. The entire conversation was a show of smoke and mirrors; something to frighten her into submission. She had to get out.

But what if she succeeded? If she did escape? Would the black shadow man rain terror on her people like he said he would in retaliation?

She heard a mechanical beeping noise come from her far right.

"I have to go. If you leave do not forget to lock her in."

"Sir, yes sir."

She heard footsteps and finally a door creak shut as the human male exited.

"I know you're awake. Your heart rate has increased and your breathing has deliberately slowed." the droid's voice was much closer now. He felt as if he was standing right over her.

Rey opened her eyes, immediately raising up defensively as the droid's metal arms reached for her.

"Calm down, it's just something for you nausea. I don't think a living being has ever stepped foot here. I can imagine you feel quite horrible. You know, because you don't belong in a place like this."

She did feel horrible. But she was never going to let him know that.

The droid looked innocent enough. He definitely wasn't one of the Sith's. They always dawned shiny black or red exterior without as much as a dent. He seemed to only be an inch or two taller than her with black eyes and a light grey exterior. His torso had several scratches and indentions, as if he had been beaten repeatedly. He was holding out a silver spoon with a white liquid inside.

"Drink. And no, it will not kill you. I promise it will help."

Rey turned her nose up at him, "Why the hell should I believe _you_? And what do you mean no _living being _as been here? Where am I?"

The droid only shook his head, refusing to take away the spoon from her face, "Isn't it obvious? You did come here by crack in the Earth, did you not?"

"What?..That..That was just an illusion. The Sith use-"

He interrupted her, "No Sith could ever produce such an illusion. That is not in their arsenal of powers. They are only good for laser swords and pushing things around without touching them."

"So then.."

He was growing increasingly annoyed, "Please take this so I can return to what I was doing."

"What were you doing?"

"Sewing your new clothes. I've taken the liberty of estimating your size just by looking at you, but I'm pretty sure I got it right. At least most of the items."

Rey looked over to the foot of the bed. A long skinny table hugged the side of the bed frame. It held piles on piles of cloth and finished products. She took the chance to take in her surroundings. She was held in a large bed chamber. It had a giant elongated window to her left accompanied by a long dangling black drape. Everything was...black. It was so saddening. The beautiful furniture flooded into the next because of the very few variations in shade. The wooden desk in the upper right was the only thing that wasn't black. It was grey, to match the wood floorboards. The bed itself was the most extravagant part. Thick black canopies laid lazily along the tall columns on each corner. It all looked ridiculous.

"What is all this…?" she let her voice trail off, completely taken aback by her surroundings.

"To be quite frank, you're in the Underworld. I'm actually very surprised you haven't figured that out by now."

That had slipped into her mind back in Jakku when the Earth opened its mouth beneath them. But there was just no way..did that even exist?

"Now drink." he pushed the spoon closer to her mouth.

She shook her head and almost vomited on him from the effort. She was probably going to die soon anyway, so she should at least see if she can go without a splitting headache. So she opened her mouth. The thick liquid was surprisingly light on her tongue. It dissipated almost immediately in her mouth. She felt instantly better.

"Better?"

She nodded, "Thank..you.."

"Don't mention it. I just do what I'm told."

"Do what you're told..you mean by..by your master? The master of this place?"

The droid walked over to the foot of the bed to continue his sewing, "Yes. You've met him."

"So...that was..that man..he was Kylo Ren?.._The_ Kylo Ren?.." She couldn't stop her hands from shaking. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

He didn't look up from his work, "Yes. Though I must say I haven't heard someone say his full name in a long time. It's always _Supreme Leader_ this or _Dark Lord_ that."

"I was..I was taken by..by a _God_?"

The droid finally raised his head as he continued to sew, "Yes. You possessed something of great importance to him. Usually he would've just killed you and taken it. But as you probably heard, his assistant informed me that he's very interested in your abilities."

"Abilities?"

His cold light bulb eyes met hers, "You blocked him from your mind. No one has ever blocked the Lord of the Underworld from their mind. No one."

"I remember him saying something like that..I didn't..I didn't mean to-" her head was spinning. This was all too much.

He interrupted, "My name is Alpha, by the way."

"Rey." she answered quietly, still lost in thought.

"Well, Rey. I believe you might need to freshen yourself up after your little journey. The refresher is through that door" he pointed to her right, "You will find hopefully everything you need inside. I shall give you some privacy now."

With a slight bow, the droid spun is torso around followed by his legs as he started for the door.

"W-Wait!"

He let his head turn around like an owl, "Yes?"

"Are the stories true? Is he as cruel as they say? He showed me a hint of it..but I guess what I'm trying to say is.."

The droid gave her an uncharisterically soft tone, "As long as he has a use for you, you have nothing to worry about."

He must have noted the horrified expression come over her face because he then added "He isn't as bad as the humans like to say he is. That I can assure you."

With that, the droid was gone. The large door creaked shut behind him.

….

The refresher was exquisite. It was far more luxurious than any she had ever seen. And surprisingly, it wasn't black. Well, except for the large tub in the center of the room. The tile, the cabinets, the sinks were all a blinding shiny white.

She stayed in the steaming bath for what felt like hours. She didn't want to leave the safety of it. She felt so oddly at home there. After a while, it made her uncomfortable. She shouldn't feel safe anywhere in this place.

If what the droid said _was_ true..then she had no hope of running. She couldn't escape the Underworld. At least, not on her own.

That man..was _the_ Kylo Ren. It made so much sense. Who else was that beautiful? That enchanting? She wondered if he planted the thoughts of longing in her mind. She wondered if she could even trust her own thoughts and feelings around him.

"_You blocked him from your mind. No one has ever blocked the Lord of the Underworld from their mind. No one."_

"_I could read your mind before. I can't now."_

If that was true..then maybe she had a chance. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. She could even trick him. She couldn't fight back the sarcastic laugh that escaped her lips. Yeah, right. Trick the God of Death. Like that would work.

"_You're right. I am a monster." _

Her entire body shivered in the hot water at the memory of his velvet voice. Every syllable wrapped around her. His candor surprised her. He was so honest, so..blunt. He outright admitted to not being able to read her mind. Why would he do that? Did he really think she'd have an answer? And if she did, did he really think she'd tell him how she managed to out-do a God?

She went over their conversation in her head until the bath ran cold. He was..infuriating.

Rey towelled off and put back on her white tunic and pants that she arrived in. She opened the door to the bed chamber slowly, ready to defend herself to whoever was inside.

It was empty. The black silk sheets were still ruffled where she had laid. She let a soft sigh of relief escape her lungs.

….

"She's a strong one. I like her."

Alpha stood before his Lord in the throne room of the palace.

Kylo leaned forward intently, hanging on every word. "Does she know of her own abilities?"

"No, I don't believe so. She didn't even realize who exactly _you_ were. She's strong, but maybe not very bright."

The deity scoffed, "It's not a lack of intelligence. She was raised in an orphanage in a desert village. I doubt anyone there would even had known what to do if they found out what she was."

The droid nodded in agreement, "It seems she needs a teacher. If not, if she was set free or maybe even escaped, she would one day become a Jedi. I'm quite sure of it."

Kylo's eyes lit up with excitement, "I agree. That's why I brought her here." His left eye twitched slightly at his own comment, knowing damn well he had no idea why he brought her here in the first place. But teaching her would be a valid reason. Truth was, he was drawn to her. The electric current struck down to his bones when she was near. The ringing in his ears almost drowned out some of her words when she had first spoken to him. And then..when she blocked him from her mind. His interest skyrocketed. He had to have her.

"That and the map to Zeus, correct?"

"Yes. If I can even open the damned thing."

"Still having trouble?"

Kylo shook his head in annoyance, "I've tried everything."

"I'm sure you will find a solution."

Kylo scoffed. After a moment of silence, Alpha spoke up again.

"It is about time we had a woman's touch here. Maybe she would one day help you run the realm, even." Alpha always was so brutally honest, unafraid of his master's tantrums. Most of the time it annoyed Kylo to no end. Not this time.

"Maybe."

The dark lord lifted himself from his stone throne and started down the seven steps. As he passed his droid he turned, "I'll be in the Great Hall. Bring her to me."

….

She had only just sat at the old wooden desk to meddle in its drawers when the door to the chambers opened slowly. She jumped from the chair, "Who's there?"

Alpha's head poked inside, "Hello, Rey. If you do not mind, please follow me."

The world beyond her jail cell was so vast. The high ceilings of the halls were giving her vertigo. Tapestries and beautiful landscape paintings covered the walls. She followed the droid for several minutes, hearing nothing but their feet padding and clanking on the hard floor.

She was admiring a specifically beautiful painting of a meadow full of yellow tall flowers when she crashed into the cold metal of Alpha's back. A shock rang down her spine suddenly. Something that had been a dull pain once she left her room now became a loud warning.

_He_ was close. She could feel him.

"We have arrived. The Supreme Leader awaits you in the Grand Hall behind this door."

She gave him a worried look. She oddly trusted the robot. If anything, he could be her acquaintance here. At least for now.

He looked back at her, "Don't fret. It's only dinner." he opened the large dark door.

The room was far too big for anyone. It could fit the entire orphanage inside it. She was even more surprised to notice an actual color for once. The drapes lining the large windows on the far wall were all a glorious red. The huge rug in the center of the room matched them, except for its stitching on the edges; that was a beautiful gold. Overtop the rug sat an elongated dining table. It's dark mahogany wood stood out against the grey wood floors. Her eyes were then attracted to the flickering light of the fire in the vast fireplace to the right of the room. In front of it, sitting at the head of the table, sat the lord of this odd world.

Her mouth started to come open against her will. He was even more beautiful in the light. The dark gold chandeliers above him lit up his face too much. He was just too much. She couldn't look at him. She didn't want to feel this way. She wished so badly for the flutters in her stomach to disappear.

She hadn't realized she had stepped inside the dining hall until she heard the door behind her slam shut with a heavy thud. She was alone. _They_ were alone now.

"Come sit." A gloved hand gestured for her to take the seat to his left.

Rey steadied herself before she allowed her feet to move. She slowly approached him before taking a hard left for the other head seat of the table.

Her feet betrayed her as she felt them slide forcefully to her right, towards him. Her entire moved without her permission. She suddenly found herself painfully close to him, standing behind the chair he had gestured to.

She scowled, "That's rude."

He let out a breath of air that was probably his version of a laugh, "You said that last time."

"Then stop acting rude and I'll stop saying it."

He looked up at her, brown eyes meeting her hazel ones. Her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. The current his presence sent through her numbed her limbs now. Her fingertips tingled as she slowly pulled out the chair and reluctantly sat. His gaze never left her. She wished he would look anywhere but her. She wished this feeling would go away. It was so..intense. Every feeling she had for this man, no this God, was far too intense. It terrified her.

"Don't be afraid. I feel it too." His voice hit her ears like thunder. Her head turned quickly towards him. He was reading her thoughts again.

He felt it too?

"Stop doing that! What did I just say about being rude? And I don't know what you're talking about. I don't feel anything other than irritation." That was stupid. He can read her thoughts, why lie?

"It starts in your gut, then your spine, then spreads throughout your body like you're a conductor. It finally settles in your limbs, numbing them even, before stopping in the tips of your fingers."

He said it nonchalantly as he situated plates of food she hadn't noticed before in front of them and poured her a cup full of red liquid.

She stared at him in awe. So he wasn't lying. He really did feel it too. She had to remember how she blocked him out the first time. She couldn't have him reading her thoughts anymore.

"I can teach you. I can help you figure out how you did. And then I can help you harness that ability to use it at will."

"I asked you to stop!"

"You're practically screaming your thoughts at me. It's not my fault if I overhear them."

She looked away from him, hands clenching into fists. She wanted to hit something.

"Do you remember what you were thinking of right before I asked you how you blocked me out?"

"No." she said through gritted teeth.

"You're lying." he was looking at her again, hands resting together on his lap. He was leaned back lazily in his extravagant chair.

She was lying. She knew exactly what she was thinking of.

"I was angry. I was thinking about how much I hated the Sith. How much I hated you in that moment."

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." he recited the sentence like it wasn't something he agreed with by any means. Sarcasm dripped from it.

She gave him a confused look, "What?"

"It's something I was told once. Seems like in your case, it's true."

"So my anger blocked you from my mind."

"In a way, yes. It strengthened your sensitivity to the Force."

She leaned forward subconsciously, "The Force. What is it? Tell me."

The God raised an eyebrow, "I will. If you let me teach you. Let me be your master."

Something inside of her broke at his last phrase. A strange feeling welled up in her legs and stomach.

Something glinted in his eyes for a moment, before promptly disappearing. Did he notice?

She leaned back as he leaned forward. His hands now on the table practically reaching for her. "I can teach you everything you need to know about the Force. What it is. How to use it. And then, you can help me find and destroy Zeus. Together, Rey, we could rule."

"W-What? Why me?"

"I don't know." he admitted.

"The woman..that woman at the festival.." Rey didn't mean to speak out loud, she stared off into her plate. Fancy meats and vegetables stared up at her.

"What woman?"

He studied her face, searching her mind for answers. After he found what he was looking for he spoke again, "Oh."

"I won't."

Kylo looked up to find his prisoner on the verge of tears, staring down at her fists in her lap.

"I refuse to become one of them. I will never become a Sith." She gave him a strong look of defiance now.

His expression never faltered, "I'm not asking you to become a Sith. I'm asking you to become more than that. Much more."

She softened a little, "When you said we could rule together. You mean.."

His hand on her lit a fire inside she had never felt before. She wanted to scream. She wanted him to stop. She couldn't think clearly this way. A leather palm placed itself on her thigh as he leaned closer. She could smell him. It was far too intoxicating.

His voice was no more than a whisper, "We could bring balance, you and I. The Olympians have crossed far too many lines. Their days are numbered, Rey."

She slowly shook her head and opened her mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted. He relinquished his hold on her. He retreated quicker than he had came. The electricity between them softened slightly.

"I brought you here because you have potential, Rey. You could become something great." his face was a serious mask again, all life drained from it.

Finally able to find her breath, Rey spoke up, "The real enemy is your worshippers mowing down cities like they're nothing. They're murdering and destroying while you sit here in your castle or whatever the hell this is."

His eyes tightened at her, "I don't condone their acts."

"You're a God! If you don't condone them then punish them! Do something about it!"

"That's out of my control. I judge the dead. Nothing more."

She took a deep breath. Arguing with him was exhausting.

"Did you keep your word?" she asked, thinking his threat of burning down her beloved city was nothing more than a bluff.

"Yes."

She felt her shoulders relax in relief.

"Thank you." she closed her eyes, it was easier to talk to him this way, "May I go? I'm not hungry."

"Yes."

With that, she angrily pushed herself from her seat and started for the door.

He was silent until she reached for the handle, "Think about what I said, Rey. If not, it'll be a boring life down here for you."

So he had no desire in letting her go if she refused him. He had given her an unspoken ultimatum: let him teach her his ways, or die here alone.

….

Rey awoke several hours later with a harsh rumble in her stomach. She hadn't eaten since Jakku. A glint of light attracted her attention across the room. On the old wooden desk sat a silver tray filled with pastries, cuts of meat, and corn on the cob; all accompanied by a large goblet of red liquid.


	3. Chapter 3

_I want you so bad that I'll go back on the things I believe_

_There I just said it, I'm scared you'll forget about me_

_Steady my breathing, silently screaming_

_I have to have you now_

**Chapter 2**

**Edge of Desire**

Leather squealing against leather echoed off the walls of Kylo's private quarters. His gloved hands curled into fists as he sat, staring into a small crack in the wall.

What was happening to him? Why did he find it all too easy to speak so freely to her; to be so full of candor suddenly? The deity never found time to discuss his thoughts or feelings with anyone; sometimes not even himself. Human feelings didn't find him very often. Anger, hatred, irritation, contentment, the occasional excitement when he completes his training course faster than normal or when he dips into fresh ink in his calligraphy set were as far as his emotional range could stretch.. But with her..with this random, normal orphan from a desert village on the edge of the world..he felt everything.

No, not normal. And certainly not random.

He went over in his head the words of the old hag he saw in Rey's mind. He couldn't believe a mage would show itself like that. What could it have been thinking? It obviously knew Rey possessed great power, but was she truly destined to be here? To be taken to his realm? Was their meeting preordained millenia ago? He let out a breath of air in a sarcastic huff. No. Destiny was for the meak; for the humans too terrified at the thought of having a life with no real meaning.

Mages were all but extinct, or so he thought. All of Olympus saw to the mages' downfall. With a few hundred too many premonitions of mere humans marrying or casting down Gods..they had to put a stop to that. Kylo rolled his dark eyes.

He tried to push down deep the thoughts that kept attempting to creep into his mind. Like the thoughts of how she smelled intoxicatingly of fresh flowers and soap, the way her breath hitched ever so often, how her thigh had felt under his hand. Those were feelings that were the most strange to him. Had he ever felt that way about a woman? The Lord of the Damned found very little time to fawn over any female both living or dead or both. The handmaidens of the Styx river would cry out to him every time they sensed his presence. Their hands would attempt to run freely over him, before he would swat them away like insects. He felt nothing then. Nothing like what he feels at the mere thought of _her_. Those pety desires could never be acted upon. He had acted so childishly on Earth; sentencing her to a life of seclusion in his foggy dark world. But he couldn't deny the calling; the actual electricity that flowed into him in her presence couldn't be ignored. At least those instincts he felt then had been correct, her abilities were definitely something he could not ignore. She would be the perfect pupil; the perfect ruler; the perfect partner. The visions that followed the thought of her as a partner made his heart race; it's beating deafening his hearing. He quickly stood, steadying himself.

Kylo felt his presence before the Dvasia had a chance to knock, "What is it?"

Hux's voice answered him through the cracks in the door, "I was just bringing you today's reports, Supreme Leader."

Kylo sighed, damn, he forgot about that. With a lazy turn of the wrist, the God opened the door without touching it.

Hux stepped over the threshold, back straight, arms full of paperwork, "It was quite slow today, there are only a few appeals I knew you would like to look over personally."

"Hm."

Hux set the white parchments down on the large wooden desk to Kylo's left. He didn't look up as he added, "You know..you catch far more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Kylo turned, annoyed, "I tried."

Hux let out a real laugh, one he hadn't heard in a long time.

"Alpha filled me in on your little date. And for some reason several Virejases already knew as well."

Kylo turned fully now to face his prying assistant, of course the Virejases already knew of his and the girl's little chat. The small chefs were close by in the kitchens, he had felt the presence of their prying ears attempting to listen in.

"And what exactly were you told?"

"Only that you seemed to anger our pretty little guest. So much so that she's eating her dinner in her room. How did she manage that? Hm? Did she just leave, tray of delicacies in hand?" Hux could barely get through his sentences without cackling. His laughter burst forth at the end of his rant. He was getting far too comfortable. A day on the throne softened his fear for his real master.

Kylo closed the distance between them quickly and stuck a leather finger in his face, "You'll do well to remember how you should be speaking to me."

Hux's realization set in as his face twisted back into his meak mask. He stammered, "Y-Yes. I apologize. I was only trying to lighten the mood."

Kylo slowly retracted his finger before continuing, "I have to make sure she's fed. I won't have any chance of teaching her if she dies of starvation first."

He remembered arriving at her door later that night, silver tray in hand. He could still hear her soft breathing as she slept. With every cell in his being screaming for his bones to move, he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to go inside. He opted for one of the Virejases to deliver her dinner. They small and quiet enough to get the job done without disturbing her.

"So it is true, you're attempting to take her in as your student."

"Yes. And It wasn't meant to be a secret."

"Supreme Leader, if I may..you should really heed what I said before."

"I'm fresh out of honey."

Hux ignored his master's sarcasm, "She doesn't know you. She certainly doesn't trust you. You can't ask so much so soon. You overwhelmed her."

The dark lord's interest was raised as he nodded for his loyal aide to continue.

Hux gulped, "You must prove you are someone worth following. She'll never agree if she doesn't respect or trust you. And the same goes for you. You can't trust her right now. If she had agreed, it would've been in an attempt to one day dethrone or betray you, not to truly learn from you."

"How do I do that? How do I get her to trust me?"

"Have you ever courted a woman before, Sir?"

….

Rey demolished the tray of food. She hated herself afterwords, but damn was it delicious. She couldn't stop herself once she slid the first cut of meat into her mouth. She was ravenous.

There was no way of knowing just how long she had slept. There was no sun here; no darkness; just a dim glow of light behind thick clouds in a muggy gray sky. She found herself in the bath again, enjoying the comforts for as long as she could. There were never tubs like this in Jakku. She was used to a dirt-ringed ceramic tomb full of murky brown water. This..this was something she could get used to.

Dark eyes slipped into her mind's eye as she laid her head back against the side of the black tub. Her heart quickened as her neck snapped up at the mere thought of _him_. He was so...ridiculous. How could he expect her to just do what he asked? She hated the way her mind created scenarios in which she would say yes to being his student. Scenarios where she spent her days learning, training, growing more powerful by the day. Scenarios that always ended in her running fingers through his dark hair..Scenarios ending in his hand starting fires on her skin as it trailed up her thigh again.

She physically shook the thoughts from her. Blood rushed to her cheeks. Why was she feeling like this? What was that current that swept through her when he was near? Whatever it was..he felt it too.

She splashed warm water from the bath on her face as she pondered him feeling those literal sparks in his bones around her as she did with him. He had to have been lying..He must of saw it in her mind and played it off as if he felt it himself; to gain her trust, maybe. Small shivers ran up her back as the hairs on her arms and neck rose. Now even the very thought of him was giving her these feelings. It was odd, the more she thought about it. It was as if she _sensed _his presence. As if just being a few yards away was more than enough to send her body into bursts of warning. That's it..a warning. Her body held abilities she had yet to understand. Those abilities deep inside knew what he was the moment she laid eyes on him, and they were begging her to run. If that were the case..what could explain the other part? The other half of her soul that longed for him in the strangest of ways. That part wanted to sit with him in that far-too-large room for hours. It wanted to hear that velvet voice explain all the ends and outs of the universe. That part was heightened at his touch.

Rey buried her face in her wet hands, droplets falling from her almost dried hair, "I hate this."

What were her options now? What were they _really_? They were very slim. She could accept his mentorship; learn about who she was, about what her abilities really truly were. She could try to escape, but she had no idea what the world outside the frosted glass. She tried that morning, but saw nothing but a foggy glow. She could refuse him. She could keep on with what she told him the night before and that story would end with her dying here alone in this cell of a room.

"_I'm asking you to become more than that. Much more."_

The deep silken voice echoed in her head. Was he telling the truth? If that truly was the case..then maybe..

"_And then, you can help me find and destroy Zeus."_

He had spoken of the Gods' days all being numbered. But why? Why did he care? From what she had heard and read of the feared Kylo Ren, he didn't care about anything.

Revenge maybe? Did this Lord of the Underworld really care about such a..such a _human _resolve? He seemed more human than most the night before when he practically begged her to join him. She saw expressions on his face she had once thought God's never showed or even could show.

But in the end..did she care? Did she really care about the rivalry between two Gods? Why the hell would she help him take down the most powerful one who'd ever lived?

Her thoughts were swimming around too much. She felt herself growing dizzy from the steam, so she stepped out and towelled off. After finishing her time in the refresher, she exited, currents flowing through her arms. Her body had been definitely trying to tell her something as she soaked, thinking of her capturer. And she had ignored its real warning.

As she pushed the dark wooden door open, clenching the towel close to her chest, she searched for her clothing she had laid out on the bed. She refused to wear whatever her wardens had made for her. She wasn't giving in just yet.

But she couldn't move. Her breathing stopped as the thuds of her heart rang loud in her ears. There, across the room, looking out the frosted glass of the large window, stood her own personal demon.

Kylo stood with his back to her, gazing at nothing. His hands were formally clasped behind his back. He had felt her presence finally enter the room, for he acknowledged her with a subtle turn of his head.

"Get dressed. If you want, I can show you what's beyond this room."

Rey couldn't speak. She stood there, mouth fully agape. He turned more, looking off to his right, careful not to look at her, "I'll wait for you in the hall."

Hot blood flooded to her face and neck, "W-Why..Could you not have just waited in the first place?!"

He turned his body some, if his head moved an inch more to the right, he'd see her, "I did."

The matter-of-fact tone in his voice replaced her embarrassment with fury, "I meant outside! You could've waited until I was clothed or at least in the room before barging in here!"

"I had no way of knowing before I came in."

"It's called knocking! Do they not teach manners here?! Even desert people know not to just come in to someone's room!"

She saw something quickly twitch across his face. A hint of a smile maybe? His full lips had turned up for only a moment, before immediately locking back into a straight line. He turned, completely now, eyes still not meeting her. He took four long strides towards the door. Her eyes noticed her bed as she watched him exit, her clothes were gone.

"Hey, wait! Where are my clothes?"

He kept his back to her as he faced the door to the hall, "We got rid of them. You're not a desert orphan anymore, so you shouldn't dress like one."

She took a step forward, tightening her grip on the towel, she opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to the punch, "You're my guest. Let me treat you as such."

Her shoulders dropped slightly as her fury turned to confusion. Was this his way of being nice?

"Yes." He answered her unspoken question.

She took a deep breath as to not let herself scream back at him in retort. If anything, she should learn how to keep him out of her mind.

"I told you I could teach you how. I'll be right outside, come out when you're ready." His giant gloved hand flicked a command for the door to open.

….

The seconds following the slam of the chamber door behind him were full of heavy breaths and hushed curses. He could almost feel his face burning red. He hadn't expected _that. _Who was he trying to prove otherwise? He knew exactly what was going to happen when she exited the refresher. He had heard the splashes of water the moment her entered. He planned on immediately exiting at first, before being frozen at the sudden rush of emotion coming from beyond the refresher door. He could feel her mulling over the different options, the different outcomes. She was unfortunately for him, doing it again; absentmindedly not allowing him to access her every thought. Yet he could still _feel _her. He felt her emotions, her pondering, her irritation. Then suddenly, his own face entered his mind. The memory wasn't his own, for it was certainly not the God he saw in the mirror. It was her. It was how _she _saw him. His own face seemed..softer. The hardened exterior he usually saw was cracking. He seemed almost _human_. The great Kylo Ren, Lord of the Damned, now cared what a human girl thought of him; he cared enough to stand perfectly still and silent in the hopes of catching the slightest hints of what floated around in her mind. So he waited, searching her feelings for answers; hoping she'd slip up and let him in.

….

The cool air of the empty bed chamber finally registered with the nerves on her skin. Small chill bumps began to form on her arms as she shivered slightly beneath the thick white towel. How dare he steal her things? Who did he think he was? She sighed as she subconsciously answered her own question. He was so obviously used to getting what he wanted. As she padded towards the neatly folded piles on the table before the bed, another cool draft of air crept up her legs. Cold turned to blazing hot heat as she remembered how she had looked during their spat. He almost saw..

She pressed the back of her hand against her face in an attempt to cool down. He could have so easily seen her; seen almost all of her. He could have done whatever he wanted. He was a God right? She had heard of young human women being taken advantage of by Olympians in order to satisfy their lusts before being promptly swatted away or killed. She shivered again at the thought. But she wasn't quite sure if it was from the horror of the possibility of being killed by him..or something else.

She just didn't sense that from him. He didn't give off the aura of a lustful leacher only trying to fulfill a need. A spoiled child, maybe. A sarcastic, angry, brooding bore perhaps. He had even kept his promise of leaving her friends alone; or at least she had hoped. And now, he hadn't looked at her in her most vulnerable form. He had even left..

No. She straightened as she let those thoughts slip away; locking them deep in the back of her mind. She couldn't give in to him so easily. He could train her. He could tell her everything she ever wanted to know about the Force, her abilities, everything. And after, she'd leave this place. He thinks he can use her? We will see who's using who.

Happy with her new found resolve, she reached for the first article of clothing on the pile. She grimaced.

….

Rey opened the large entrance to her cell to greet her warden. He was so intoxicating in every sense of the word. The deity leaned back against the wall across from the door, arms crossed and face blank. He was already looking up at her once she exited.

She fidgeted underneath the weight of his gaze. It wasn't her face he was looking so intently at. She had gone through the entire pile of clothing, wanting to scream in panic, throwing handfuls of fabric every which way. Her room was now covered in a sea of reds, yellows, purples, silvers and blues. Each article she pulled out was more vile than the last; dresses and outfits so uncomfortable or revealing that she wanted to vomit. She wished the extravagant window could be opened so she could rid herself of them immediately.

She had settled on the outfit she could stomach the most; a tight black long-sleeve top, detailed with random swirls of red around the neckline and matching black tights. She sighed a deep sigh of relief as she noted they had not taken away her precious boots. The neckline steered right across her shoulders, exposing her entire collarbone and upper arms. It wasn't near as bad, she noted, as she put it on. She quickly piled her long dark hair into her favorite triple buns, and headed out.

Now, taking in her new look, she didn't see anything perverted in his eyes. Or at least she hoped. He looked to be simply registering her in something other than white. His eyes met her own as if he heard her thoughts, which he most likely did. "Follow me."

They passed several doors and entryways to places she cared not to see. One of which was the famous dining hall they had their first argument. First of many, she thought.

"You're getting better."

He was walking two paces in front of her, he had spoken without looking bad. She caught up to him, to see his face, "Did you hear that?"

He let himself look down into her eyes as they walked, "First of many." he quoted before his eyes flowed back to front.

Rey felt a slight blush threaten her cheeks, "I was thinking of our argument. And how it was the first of probably many. How was I able to keep you out this time?"

"I don't know. Maybe your awareness is helping some. You're doing it subconsciously."

She smiled in sheer delight; incredibly grateful he wasn't an audience to her every thought now. She had to be more careful. That would be the first thing she must learn to control. Who knew, maybe she could figure it out without him.

"I doubt it."

She answered him with a smug look, "Hey, you never know. You could have met your match."

"Good. Having my match is the only way to defeat Zeus."

She noticed his huge hands curling into fists at his sides. She wanted to know why Kylo was sent here in the first place; why Zeus would do such a thing. Did he show his master how cruel he was? Did he betray him? She opened her mouth to ask before being promptly interrupted.

"Don't talk to anyone that isn't me or Alpha. Everyone here is out to get something, and none if it is in your best interest. Understood?" He was facing her now, barking orders with one hand raised, ready to open the exquisite door.

They were in what looked to be the foyer to a magnificent castle. It was vast, empty, and cold. She wasn't sure if the walls and rugs were grey and black or if that was just layers of dust. A grand chandelier hung in the center of the room. It was so large that she couldn't count all the candles that it held. An old, decaying staircase split into two, leading to an upper level. The only light came from foggy curtainless windows.

They were standing on the presepase now, the exit into the outside world. Whatever realm he ruled over, lie just beyond these double doors.

He stared as she took in her surroundings, waiting for assurance of her compliance. She finally felt his gaze and turned, "Uh yeah. Yes no talking to anybody but you and the droid. I got it, I got it."

He sighed in defeat before swishing his wrist to will the entrance open. They were met with a glow of light. It filled the sleepy castle's front room almost entirely, like a portal had been opened. She squinted and had to blink several times.

"Come on." his voice sounded further away now, he had already walked several steps into the unknown.

As her eyes focused, her mind reeled at the wonder before her. It was oddly.._beautiful_. Tall black skinny trees filled the landscape. Grey powdery dirt covered the ground that wasn't occupied by shimmering gorgeous silky turquoise pools. She could see many things in the distance; groups of trees, a forest maybe?

He was taking in her reaction as he stood half turned towards her; one foot already down on one of the steps.

"What is it?"

His calming deep voice brought her attention back to him instantly, "N-Nothing."

"Say it." The demand sounded so calm. His tone was so much softer than it had been before. It took her a moment to register it fully.

"It's..It's beautiful."

She thought she sensed shock in his expression as his jaw tightened slightly. But he recovered almost instantaneously.

She approached him, following her capturer down the marble steps. They were slippery, covered in what looked like a morning dew. She tensed her muscles, hoping to not fall.

As they reached the ground, she noticed something even more beautiful to her left. She turned toward the most magical garden she had ever seen. It was so strange and jarring; green in a sea of gray. It housed hedges taller than Kylo himself and flowers of every color and type she could have ever imagined. She had only ever seen things like this in hologram form or in drawings in books. She wanted to run to it; to touch the petals; to lay into a hedge.

She felt the God's eyes on her face as she grinned gleefully towards the lush area.

"You're welcome to it anytime. There's a small maze inside too."

She quickly turned to him, grinning ear-to-ear, "A maze? Really? Is that what those huge hedges are for?!" Rey hadn't filt this giddy since she found that old speeder in the desert with Finn.

He simply nodded in response.

"Can we go now?" She pleaded, blinking at him several times, waiting for a response. He casually turned away from her, heading toward the miniature oasis. She happily jogged after him.

The garden easily took her breath away. She wanted to live in it; to put a blanket and pillow down in the center and call it home. It was so different from anything she had ever known. It was.._perfect_. She felt so comfortable and free. It was as if she was finally where she was always meant to be. And as her eyes ran across the gorgeous landscape, falling upon the ruler of this new world, her feeling shattered.

This wasn't right. She couldn't let herself feel so comfortable here. She was practically in hell; side by side with the devil himself. But he didn't look like the Kylo Ren in her mind. He didn't exude the cruel and terrifying nature of a God of the Underworld. He certainly didn't terrify her as much and it had only been a day. She wanted to kick herself for paying far more attention to her capturer than the glorious landscape that surrounded her. Unfortunately for her, he was far more interesting.

"What is it?" She hadn't noticed how she was gaping at him while so deep in her thoughts. She smiled briefly at the relief that if he was asking, that meant he didn't hear anything. He certainly wasn't sparing her feelings and being polite; she didn't think he was capable of such a gesture.

"Did you bring me my dinner last night?"

"You're not a prisoner here. I'm not going to starve you."

"Thank you.." Rey found herself not being able to meet his dark eyes as she thanked him. His stare was so harsh, demanding, so _intrusive_. It's as if he was boring holes into her soul with every glance. When he didn't answer, she quickly grew embarrassed, desperate to talk about something else.

He must have sensed her displeasure, because he began stepping forward towards the green maze to continue her tour. His limbs were so _long_. Just a few strides made him go several feet ahead of her, making her jog to catch up.

"Do you know your way around it?"

He let out a sarcastic huff in response, "There's no secrets here that I don't know."

"So..what all is _here_? If this really is the Underworld, then where are the souls of the dead? Can we just not see them?"

He continued his stride, taking a sharp right before answering, "There are several sections. Rings. Each different in punishment. Where we are, Zile, is beneath the Earth. There are no souls here unless they request to meet with me to appeal their sentences."

"So you really do judge them?"

"Yes."

"You know..you never really introduced yourself. Not once, actually. Alpha ended up having to tell me."

"Neither did you."

Rey scowled, "I didn't have to! You took a vacation in my head to see who I was!"

"I wouldn't call it a vacation."

Rey rolled her eyes. He wasn't all that terrifying. Kylo Ren was nothing like the stories of her youth said. He was nothing more than an ass.

He took a sharp left twice, followed by another right, "I've been called worse." The almost playful sarcasm in his earlier tone had faded. His voice had quieted intensely. For some reason, she actually felt apologetic.

Rey quickly tried to recover, "So..where are you taking me?"

"The center. Remember our path so you can find it again yourself."

Rey nodded, "Okay." she had tried to follow his movements from the beginning, but the further they crept into the maze the harder she found it. "I thought you said this was a small maze?"

"It is." he said matter-of-factly as he made another left. They were in a small circular opening, surrounded by thick green leafy hedge walls. Surrounded by a circular array of purple and yellow feathery flowers she couldn't name, stood a stone well. It was beautiful. The large stones showed no cracks or signs of wear. It could have been made yesterday for all she knew. While almost everything in this world seemed so old and forgotten, this looked brand new, untouched by time. She slowly approached it, following the small cement path that cut through the circle of florals. The liquid inside was the same as in the wasteland, a gorgeous bright turquoise. It was so calm that her reflection stared back at her as clear as a mirror.

"You can drink it."

Rey turned to face him, curiosity peaking, "So it's just like regular water?"

"Somewhat." the God was far closer than she had anticipated. He had closed the gap between them when she wasn't looking. His steps had been so silent..

His breath flowed over her face as he spoke, "Some say its better." She could've sworn there was some inflection in his voice. It was lower, maybe; even softer than his normal rumbles that radiated in her chest.

Her eyelashes came into view as she noted her lids getting heavy. This was too much. He was far too close. The electrical current between them furiously gripped onto her bones, vibrating in her ears. What had become a dull hum around him had grown now into a loud roar.

"H-How?"

"Try it. And then tell me if it is." She wasn't imagining it. His voice was significantly softer than it ever was. She had to get away from him. Her body was warning her of something..something she couldn't put her finger on yet. A cold hard substance hit the small of her back and she reached back, realizing she had been gently backed up into the side of the well. She was trapped. Yet his hands didn't move, nothing on him moved now. He knew she couldn't escape and yet he did nothing.

"I-I'm not..I'm not thirsty. I'm fine..really." She hated the way her words came out in childish stammers. She desperately wished he backed off. Kylo's soft black curls slid into view as he tilted his head down towards hers. Their extreme height distance was never as apparent as it was now.

"Are you sure?" His cool breath made her head swim. She felt like she might pass out. She really wished she would.

"Yes, Kylo, really. I don't want to." She could have sworn she heard his breath hitch in his throat for a moment. He immediately retreated, backing up several paces. The air around her instantly felt better. She took in a deep breath, not realizing she had been holding it.

"Maybe another time." he spun on his heel, started back from whence they came. Hesitantly, she followed.

….


End file.
